When a McKinney brother falls in love, powerful emotion and overwhelming desire are never far behind.

Two hearts locked away . . . Hannah Walker spends her days coaching children through injury and trauma, one therapeutic horseback ride at a time. She knows all too well how violence can change a child and leave scars that never heal. It’s easy for her to relate to the kids; what isn’t easy is the thought of facing her own harrowing past.

Millionaire playboy Stephen McKinney could use a little coaching himself. Five years ago he encountered his most horrible nightmare—and the nightmare won. No matter what he achieves, nothing can make up for that awful night . . . or so he believes.

Both desperate for a second chance . . . Stephen is used to getting what he wants. And he wants Hannah. So when she turns him down, he’s intrigued. What he doesn’t know is that her secrets will lead him to a place he never wanted to go again . . . to a side of himself he’s tried to forget . . . a side that would scare Hannah away from ever loving him. Now his only chance to win her trust is to bare his soul, risking everything he tried so hard to protect.

There’s nothing quite like falling for a McKinney brother and just like his older brother Matt, Stephen was irresistible. Claudia Connor knows how to write romance and fantastic heroes and heroines to root for and Hannah and Stephen really tugged at the heartstrings as they both struggled to escape the darkness from their pasts and trust the journey to true love.

After enduring a horrifying ordeal as a young girl, Hannah has spent her adult years struggling to move on, a difficult feat due to overprotective brothers and her own fears of putting her faith in another human being. She spends her days pouring her energies into helping children through animal therapy, helping them to gain confidence and independence by introducing them to horses and teaching them how to ride. Having shied away from personal relationships of any kind, she is unprepared for the attentions of the self-assured, successful, corporate genius Stephen McKinney. Stephen gets what he wants; because what he wants is no string, nameless sex with string of willing participants. But Stephen hides a tragic past of his own; when he lost the love of his life in an unspeakable act of violence. Stephen closed the shutters on his emotions and despite his close-knit family’s best efforts, can’t beat to open up. Until Hannah…Something in this fragile yet strong young woman speaks to parts of him he thought were long dead, never to be awoken. Can these broken individuals find wholeness as a couple?

Worth the Risk was definitely a more emotionally heavy story in comparison to Worth the Fall and sometimes the drama that came with it seemed a little too unnecessary especially around the ¾ mark. However despite this, it definitely had all the elements I adore about Claudia’s writing. Her characterisation is fantastic, she creates characters that are so wonderfully real and developed, that you cannot help but feel sympathy for.

Hannah was incredibly easy to like, she was so sweet and vulnerable and really put her heart and soul into her work. Her relationship with her brothers was cute, especially how involved they were in her life, although at times the alpha male posturing with Stephen grew a little tiresome.

Stephen was equally easy to fall for. His back story was utterly heartbreaking and his growth throughout the book was wonderful. It was painful to witness his interactions with his family at times as he struggled to reconnect with them after closing himself off for so long, but the warmth and support of the McKinney clan is difficult to resist even for someone as closed off as Stephen. It was fabulous to see characters from Worth the Fall return and I loved the affectionate atmosphere that always accompanied scenes with the family.

The relationship between Hannah and Stephen was a rollercoaster, I loved how caring and attentive Stephen was while always careful not to push, and how Hannah grew to realise that she could put her trust in him. Their chemistry was off the charts and their scenes in Vegas were one of my favourite parts in the book. Again, I was frustrated with the aforementioned dramatic turn towards the end of the book, especially because it petered out as quick as it blew up but apart from that I had no complaints with the development of the overall storyline.

A beautiful and unforgettable love story, with characters that will steal your heart, Worth the Risk was another winner from Claudia Connor!

2 Responses to “Worth the Risk by Claudia Connor | Review”

I don’t think I’ve come across any books by Claudia Connor before (or maybe I have, the synopsis of the first book sounds familiar), but this series sounds like it might be worth a look. I’m a sucker for well written romance novels that have an emotional impact!